West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-08-19
y CARD.
From the Executive Committee Of the
Board of Directors of the West Vir-
ginia Hospital for the Insane.

ing m1ue upon Tue mlhdS CWOhV vi
the West Virginia Hospital for the
Insane by portion of the partisan
press of the State, is Of such rep
rehensible character, in view Of all
the circumstances, as TO demand a
brief and unprejudiced statement to
the public from the undersigned
members of the Board of Directors.
The so-called evidence taken by
the Investigating Committee of the
Legislature, sent to investigate the
management and condition Of the
Hospital last winter, is not given to
the public on the ground of its inn
moral and indecent character and
unfit for publication. How proper
and moral some bitter partisan edi-
tors in our time can be! Yet at the
same time they are constantly guilty
of offences against morals and honor
that would make q fair and just
minded person starein astonishment
at such methods of "upholding vir-
tue and rendering vice odious!,
These are a part of the dark and de-
vious paths of such political hacks,
PLAYING for the stake of offices and
plumber alone, prOstitutiug honor,
morals and decency in the unholy
game. In this mad and disappoint-
ing strife,
"As the mind saddens with failure,
Murkier grows the shade
But while the evidence is withheld
from the public, these moral" edi
tors tell the people that the Investi-
eating Committee found Il frightful
condition of affairs existing at the
Hospital. The honor and good
name of the Superintendent. Of the
old Board of Directors, of the Gov
ernor and of the ner Board of Di-
rectOrs, are all to be sacrificed in
order to sustain the report Of the In
vestigating Committee-a report
that cost the people several thousand
dollars-a report, the conclusions of
which are not warranted by the
batch of dirty, filthy nonsense, which
they call testimony. Testimony in
deed, 1t would not he received as
testimony before any tribunal, either
civil or military, in the land, on ac-
count of its hearsay character. No
person of ordinary intelligence can
examine it without feeling of in-
dignation, that such an amount of
/ public money should have been eX-
pended to collect such quantity of
foolish, contemplate drivel, and cru
ely and unnecessarily harass and
alarm the feelings of relatives and
friends of patients under treatment
at the Hospital. To more fully COM
I prehend the depth of this whole in
quiry, the report Of the old Board of
Directors to the Governor, that fol
lowed the above report, should also
be carefully examined, That Board
was composed of some Of the best
and purest men in the State. And
they arrive at directly contrary
conclusion. founded upon the same
data, which was the basis of the re-
port OF the Investigating Commit
tee.
The assertion that we, as mem
bers of the new Board appointed by
Governor Wilson, were so appointed
with the understanding that we were
to vote for the retention Of DR..
Bland is malicious and Infamous
lie. We would never have accepted
the appointment under any such
condition. All that DR.. Bland ever
could have hODed for, in the appoint
ment of the new Board, was that
they should be men Of good charac-
ter who had not already made up
their mind to condemn him without
a full and careful hearing of the
whole case-that they should not be
of the same stripe as the Legislative
Investigating Committee, We did
not know ourselves that we should
support DR.. Bland, when notified of
our appointment. We had no pre-
viouS notice that we were tC be APP
pointed until it was announced in
the newspapers, After careful ex-
animation Of the condition of the
Hospital, and of the two foregoing
reports, we became satisfied and
convinced of the injustice and out
rage perpetrated upon DR.. Bland by
the report of the Investigating Com
mittee. According to our conscien-
tious belief from the information
that is within our reach, this war
upon Dr. Bland is nothing but a plot
and conspiracy of the "outs" to have
DR.. Bland removed, regardless of
justice, decency, or honor.
The principle effort of the lnves-
tigating Committee appears to have
been an attempt to show that DIR.
Bland was an immoral and depraved
man. This was too much for them
to accomplish. The attempt showed
the animus and malice of the whole
proceeding. They overreached them
selves. DR.. Bland is too well known
throughout the State to be struck
down by the SANDER of either male
or female ghoUls and haypieS. The
condition of the Hospital is good,